p4r4d0x

The PSP’s general inexcusable lack of usefulness is forcing me to question my purchase of it altogether. Where are the groundbreaking games? Wheres the competitive spirit in any form? We’ve found the hyperbole but where’s the substance? It’s like the PSP is directionless, drifting in a sea of mediocre sports and racing games. Yes, the PSP stereotype is true – hoardes of generic sports and racing games are apparently all anyone has thought to use this potent piece of hardware for. And any major franchises that head on over are trivialized with PSP exclusive features/gameplay mechanics (case in point Metal Gear Solid – card game, wtf??!) One of the few redeeming features (and in fact my initial reason for purchasing the console) was the promise of portable SNES gaming on a lucious 16:9 display with a decent control scheme (as opposed to unwieldy kb). Well with the release of 2.01 firmware the last glimmer of appeal for the PSP was forcibly extinguished by the benevolent boot of corporate paranoia and protectionism (I just happened to get my unit on introduction of this fw. sobs) Not only was emulation no longer on the agenda but the screen’s useless in the mildest of glare and the thing is impossible to keep in pristine condition. The case is rubbish, the strap/lanyard is cosmetic and not much else and above all the thing lacks most important ingredient for console success – games.

while many will argue that the PSP will fail because of a long-term identity crisis – attempting to be a media centre and gaming station at the same time, I would argue the thing will fail becuase of sheer lack of practicality. Sure, the PSP is a moderately appealing piece of industrial design there are no games to speak of, the graphics are generally underwhelming (when juxtaposed with those it claims to equal – PS2 et al), the UMD format is largely stupid (and flagging in retail environments now, reflecting this) and Sony still ain’t getting it. The release schedule for the next couple of months is bleak to say the least. Abandon ship now!

(and please disagree with me, infuse some enthusiasm into me)